Chapter 9
Previous Chapter * Grove City, California * Saturday, April 11, 201X, 1:20 PM PST Dressed in biking shorts and his favorite track jacket, Han was ready to spend his Saturday afternoon in blissful exercise. The weather was overcast and Terrace Grove nice and cool today; perfect for strenuous exercise. A baseball cap was sitting on his drawer table, embroidered with a golden griffin flying above two large “G”s. It was the logo for the Grove Griffins, the local baseball team. Han pulled the black and gold cap over his eyes and grabbed his keys. “I’m going out! Be back in a couple hours!” Han’s roommate had left earlier to get groceries. Fenix was at home tinkering, and was not interested in joining Han in biking. It was going to be just himself today. As he made his way downstairs, Han snatched his sunglasses from his jacket pocket and wore them on his face. Using his keys, he unlocked the apartment’s bike cages and walked his pride and joy out. It was a LeMond road bike, and this model was colored blue with yellow stripes – highly unusual, and highly expensive. It was gifted from Han’s roommate for a special occasion, and it was one of his greatest treasures. On his bike, Han was free. The wind blowing around him was one of his most favorite feelings in the world. He blazed through the city streets, taking his usual route to exit the city towards Terrace Town. The road bike sang with joy as well under Han. Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick. Han took a right and rode past several blocks before passing by the Terrace Grove University. A few blocks past the school was the Maple Tea Café – popular as always and bustling with business. As Han neared the city limits, he spotted a ragged middle-aged squatting in an alleyway, unmoving. Flies were buzzing around him. Han caught a whiff of something that made him scrunch his nose. Gross. Han shook his head, and put his thoughts behind him as he put the streets behind him. Taking the road up to Terrace Town, Han managed to bike from the city limits to the town strip in a little over half an hour. The scenery was phenomenally different compared to the city; greenery and wooden cottages replaced the cold concrete jungle. Dozens of old shops and businesses were open today. Porcelain bowls, wooden statues, pottery, and flowers could be seen in all of the shop windows. The whole place was brimming with history. Eventually, Han reached the part of town where a road extended from the town into the Terrace Grove Mountains and biked onto the concrete. Now on the road, Han’s vision became filled with the tall trunks of the redwoods. Han’s muscles burned as he pushed himself to go faster and faster, but it was the good sort of burn. Eventually, Han spotted the path that branched off from the road. Han biked onto the dirt trail, which was as hard as cement from decades of repeated travel. This particular path was well known for being a popular road bike path because of its scenic view. After almost an hour of hard biking, Han made it to the picturesque point of the trail – the top of a mountain peak. From here, Han could make out Terrace Town from the forest clearing. He followed the streets down with his eyes, and he gazed at Grove City, now an indistinguishable, shining gold and grey blur in the afternoon heat. The early summer temperatures had started to break the layer of clouds, and beams of sunlight shone down on the city like many spotlights. Both the white sands and the deep blue ocean, sometimes sparkling, enveloped the side of the city like a blanket. Han squinted, and he could even make out the beach boardwalk and the amusement part, hence Grove City’s nickname: “The Boardwalk of the Bay”. Here was Terrace Grove, in its entirety. Like a postcard – beautiful. Then, Han saw it. From the corner of his eye, he spotted an enormous meteor falling at a tremendous velocity, a burning red tail stretching far behind it. With a deafening BOOM that knocked Han off his bike, he watched as the meteor crashed into a small clearing of redwoods. Han stared at the smoking site, and then he looked from where the meteor came from. How could this be? The skies are still overcast, and yet there are no breaks in the clouds?! Curiosity propelled him towards the crash site. This was no ordinary meteor. Next Chapter